Shelving my Games

The answer was pretty simple - I need to add another shelving unit to my game room. But which one? What could I get that would reduce shelf wear on my games, increase my storage capacity in a limited footprint and assist in storing my larger games? I could do another Kallax, but for all the reasons I discussed in my last post, I really didn't want to do that without a good solution to fix vertical storage issues. I could try to find some other shelving unit that was cheap and would work, but I didn't really want something cheap. At the same time, I was sick and tired of my shelves overflowing and my games stacking up and causing extremely unnecessary box wear - it was wearing on me just as much as it was on my boxes!

Initially, the cheapskate within me won out and I went the route of pricing out Box Bands to make vertical storage work - and honestly, getting enough of those was nearly as expensive as getting better shelves. When I first found that out, I just stopped looking altogether for a time. Box Bands had sounded like such a good plan - they would allow me to maximize my Kallax without having to do a whole lot, and I would never need to replace the shelves I had already purchased. At approximately $4/each, I was looking at over $700 for my collection. That expense for bands that would need to be replaced felt just completely unconscionable.

Eventually, I decided to do additional research, because I remembered finding my dream shelving a while back, but at a time when I wasn't actively looking. I finally found BoxKing Gaming, the company I had been interested in previously, and it felt like they actively addressed all of my concerns with my current shelving - which wasn't really surprising, considering these shelves are made by gamers for gamers. And that was the point where I decided that anything else that comes into my nerd room for storage would be BoxKing product.

I reached out to them to discuss my project needs, and they were incredibly helpful! Through our first couple interactions, I ended up sending them photos of my existing collection and storage situation, and after some discussion they came back to me with several suggestions for storage maximization. We ended up settling on the BoxDuke with extra-wide shelves for my larger games, and the LaxRax shelving inserts to maximize the storage capabilities of my existing Kallax shelving. Finding this product was a game-changer. It was exactly what I have been looking for! A way to fix my Kallax issues without having to replace those shelves. If you have Kallax units and are looking for an affordable way to upgrade them, LaxRax are the way to go.

As far as accessories, we added two LaxRax storage drawers and a playmat holder - both very nice additions to the spread. These items all answered the issues I kept finding with my storage, like eliminating the need for a cube overflowing with playmats, and did so at the same cost as trying to get Box Bands. While I can absolutely get more Kallax, to do that and then find another solution to make the storage in those work the way that I want to ends up being extremely expensive with inferior results.

One really cool thing I realized about LaxRax as well is that they would be a huge benefit for anyone who really believes in vertical storage as well. Since the Kallax cubes are true cubes, you can install LaxRax vertically to achieve the same tight spacing and snug fit that they provide horizontally, and most likely eliminate the box lids from slightly separating from the box - the most obnoxious part of vertical storage.

Tune in in two weeks on Journey into the Unknown to see what the installation process looks like, and what the final result is with before & afters!

Check out my blog for Part IlI .

Originally published by Josh B (@Skello496) on BoardGameGeek: “Shelving my Games”

Republished on BoxKing Gaming with the author’s permission.